Certain configurable hardware switches use a match-action paradigm, passing a packet header vector between multiple stages. To properly carry out the configured instructions, in addition to carrying packet header values, the packet header vector is used to also store metadata (including control and data flow) and instructions from one stage to the next. As packet size becomes larger and/or operations become more complex, additional storage may be needed. However, simply enlarging the packet header vector may not be optimal, as this expands the number of wires and thus requires more physical design area.